Licensing Expo 2023 Reveals New June Date & Fashion Theme

Licensing Expo, organized by Informa Markets and sponsored by Licensing International, will take place on June 13-15, 2023, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The licensed consumer product and brand extension tradeshow, which saw enormous success in attendance and exhibition in 2022, was originally due to take place on May 23-25, 2023, but will now return three weeks later to accommodate event venue renovations. The new show dates will ensure smooth experiences for attendees and exhibitors at Licensing Expo.

“We have been closely following the construction dateline at Mandalay Bay,” says Anna Knight, senior vice president, licensing, Informa Markets. “With their guidance, we have obtained favorable dates to reschedule the event and avoid disrupting the meeting spaces required for Licensing Expo. We wanted to update the licensing community after further discussions with Mandalay Bay to ensure all visitors and partners plan their summer accordingly. The Licensing Expo team will contact exhibitors and partners to discuss the rescheduled dates, answer any queries and ensure we deliver the same event experience you have become accustomed to, albeit a few weeks later than originally planned.”

This year’s Licensing Expo theme is Fashion, which builds on Brand Licensing Europe’s 2022 theme that showcased collaborations from industry influencers such as Balmain, HYPE, H&M and more, with brands including Mattel’s Barbie, SEGA, Teletubbies and Kellogg’s taking to the runway – a highlight of September’s event.

“Seeing the incredible response we had at BLE from the Fashion theme, we wanted to bring it to Expo next summer to spotlight the innovation and creativity that comes from this category on a global stage,” says Knight. “Fashion, apparel and accessories are all inclusive and transcend age, gender, race and nationality. It forms such a critical part of the licensing process but is also an integral part of consumers’ identity. BLE was just the beginning of what this theme has to offer, and we can’t wait to bring it to life on Licensing Expo’s show floor.”

“Having fashion as the theme opens so many possibilities in the licensing space and will allow attendees and exhibitors to explore the breadth of consumer products available through the fashion world,” says Maura Regan, president, Licensing International. “We’re excited to see unique collaborations unfold between licensing and fashion, along with the constant emergence of new innovations and trends. Licensing Expo 2023 will showcase some incredible opportunities to grow the licensing and fashion industries even further.”

Licensing has seen a huge boost since 2019, with global sales revenue generated by licensed merchandise and services growing to $315.5 billion in 2021, a 7.75% increase over the $292.8 billion generated in 2019, according to Licensing International’s annual overview of the industry. It marks the first time the licensing industry surpassed the $300 billion mark.

Licensing Expo provides the best opportunity to secure the rights to thousands of consumer brands, entertainment icons and more for exhibiting and attending product suppliers or retailers.

In 2022, Some notable brands from the 2022 event included Crayola, Hasbro, Jazwares, Legendary Entertainment, Paramount, Paul Frank, Mattel, Shell, Viz Media, Warner Bros. Discovery and many more.